Reaching for Eternity
by Fencedude
Summary: Yoshino has broken her family's self-destructive cycle, but the future remains uncertain. A chance encounter gives her the chance to change everything. Will she reach out to the eternity she desires? A To the Stars story.
1. Prologue: Fire and Ice

**Reaching for Eternity**

_Prologue: Fire and Ice_

_Strictly speaking, the garden was impossible. Located in a small room with no visible windows, it was nonetheless filled with warm sunlight. Flowers of all colors bloomed in the planters set around the edges of the room and even more hung down from the ceiling above. In the center of this floral paradise was a small round table, around which four girls sat drinking tea. _

_"We should attack them now! This is the perfect opportunity to wipe them out for good!" The girl's red eyes seemed to glow with an inner fire, her voice shattering the peace of the garden. "The blue one is dead; Akemi hasn't left her apartment in days. Only Tomoe and Sakura are active now. There will never be a better time to strike. No more hiding here in the industrial district, slinking around like rats. We deserve to control the city, not Tomoe's band of do-gooders!" _

_She slammed the coffee table with both hands, the impact rattling the delicate tea set. The untouched cup before her nearly spilled its contents across the table. _

_From next to the angry redhead a hand darted out to steady the piece of china. She redhead glanced at the hand's owner, the other girl's ice-blue eyes unreadable behind her similarly colored bangs._

_Turning her gaze to the other side of the table, she met the eyes of the remaining two people at the table. One pair—clear and aquamarine—was as unreadable as the bluenette's. The other pair, in contrast, showed their owner's emotions plainly. Sulfur orange, their burning gaze bored into the redhead, causing her to flinch back involuntarily. The redhead forced herself to look back towards the platinum haired one her outburst had been directed towards and the leader of the foursome: Mikuni Oriko._

_Oriko took a sip of her tea, pausing to set the cup down and brush away an errant strand of platinum hair. "We will not be attacking Tomoe-san's group." She paused as if considering new information. "Also, please keep your voice down, Aina; Yuma-chan is asleep." She calmly took another sip of her tea. _

_Hinata Aina tamped down her temper. It was hard, always so hard. But the two across the table from her were the only people she not only feared, but respected. Well, she respected Oriko; she simply feared Kirika. She glanced down as a cool hand touched the back of her own. The cold touch helped her reign in the fires of her temper. Flipping her hand over Aina entwined her warm fingers with the cool ones of Miroko Mikuru. She squeezed her hand slightly, her blue-haired lover responded in kind. _

_Pausing to take a deep breath, she looked directly at Oriko. "Are we just going to sit here and stew? Wait for Akemi to pull herself together and Tomoe to recruit another one of her paladins?" She studiously ignored Kure Kirika's dark glare. Kirika wouldn't do anything without Oriko's permission and looks couldn't kill...generally. The platinum blonde sighed slightly, and then crossed her legs, leaning back a bit in her chair._

_"No, we will not just be sitting here. In point of fact, this is a perfect opportunity." Oriko's lips formed a slight smile, her voice taking on an unmistakably smug tone. "I have a mission for you and Mikuru, one I think you will both thoroughly enjoy."_

* * *

Miasma filled the town's small business district, filling the streets with a dense vision obscuring fog. The buildings here struggled to reach ten stories, absolutely nothing compared to the glass and steel behemoths of nearby Mitakihara. However this was their city, their home, and it needed to be defended as if it were one of Japan's grand metropolises.

Within the miasma, towering forms appeared. They looked to be human, if human heads brushed the fourth floor of buildings broke apart into cubical pieces floating into the air above them. The figures raised their arms, hands outstretched, and beams of light shot from each fingertip piercing through the fog to targets unseen. Moment later the giants began to silently crumple and dissolve. The hunters had arrived. The giants fell—one after another—leaving behind nothing but scattered black cubes to show they ever even existed.

"Is that the last of them?" The leader of the hunters took stock of the situation.

A girl in a green dress, two katana crossed on her back landed next to her on the rooftop. "Looks like it, busy night tonight."

Two more girls bounded up. "The miasma is dissipating and we've gathered all the grief cubes."

"Alright then, let's cleanse our gems and go ho..." a massive spear of ice burst from her chest, cutting off whatever else she was going to say. It happened so suddenly, so unexpectedly, so horribly, that her friends were paralyzed in shock. Perhaps if one had acted faster what was about to happen could have been prevented, but now it was too late. The ice spear vanished, leaving behind a hole six inches across. Blood spilled from the wound and spurted from the girl's mouth, choking her. She began to collapse but before her body ever hit the ground it vanished, dissolving into motes of light. Their leader's death jolted the remaining trio out of their shocked paralysis, but their fates were already sealed.

"Girls! Is this really the best you can do!?" A maniacal voice boomed, the source right behind the shocked magical girls. Hinata Aina reached out with lightning speed and grabbed the neck of the girl holding the grief cubes. "Sorry, but we'll be taking those!" The girl burst into flames, her skin cracking and turning black within moments. But as with her leader before, her Soul Gem, already nearly dark, gave out before her physical body, and she too vanished into light, the gathered grief cubes clattering to the ground.

The third girl managed to draw her weapon, but as a long-ranged fighter she was at a severe disadvantage. She got off a few wild shots with her pistol, but they were deflected by the ice-shield Mikuru generated. Dissipating the shield, the ice-mage materialized a pair of ice swords and with two quick slashes she disarmed the gunner—literally—then buried both swords to the hilt in the girl's chest. Just like her two friends before her, the critically wounded magical girl dissolved into light. Mikuru looked around for the fourth girl. "Aina," Mikuru called for her partner, but the fire mage had already noticed and was bounding off after the last of their prey. As Aina reached the edge of the building she leapt into the air, flames igniting beneath her feet.

"So showy," Mikuru deadpanned as she began to gather up the scattered grief cubes.

* * *

Yoshino couldn't sleep. After the roller-coaster ride of the last three months, her life was finally starting to pull itself back together. Things weren't perfect, of course. She was almost certainly not going to get any alone time with Yuka anytime in the foreseeable future and the marriage provision in her Grandfather's will still hung over her like Damocles' Sword. However, at least Yuka was no longer confined to her home when not at school and it appeared that her parents have given up on the idea of marrying her off. Yoshino rolled over in her bed and checked the time. 0500. She had to be up in barely two hours anyway for the first day of high school, so there was no point in trying to get back to sleep.

Her mind continued to wander through the events of the past winter. In the space of little more than a week her life had exploded, but even if things weren't completely perfect now, they had improved dramatically. A few ideas for dealing with the marriage issue were already percolating in her head. She and Yuka had decided that they were not going to give up on having a relationship, even if it meant waiting till they were both 20 and had their majority. Their families would just have to deal with having lesbians for daughters. She knew her mother—her head servant, not the woman who merely birthed her—understood this by now even if she still was less than thrilled. The rest of her servants' responses ranged from enthusiastic acceptance (one of the kitchen assistants was _very_ supportive when he found out) to grudging acknowledgement, but no one had quit, and no one shunned her. That had been one of her greatest fears: that her servants, her family, would turn against her. She knew her friends would be supportive, especially after the situation with Chiaki, Touma and Makoto the year before, but it had still terrified her to the bone.

Placing her hands behind her head, she stared up at her ceiling, not that she could see it in the nearly pitch-black room. She really wished Yuka were with her. She closed her eyes and began to imagine being with Yuka, when she was startled by a crash from her balcony. Rolling out of bed, she paused before opening her curtains. What if it was something dangerous? She quickly shook the thought aside. Her room was on the second floor and well away from any trees. Pulling the curtain open, she peered through the glass door. The villa was away from the city's lights, leaving just the starlight to illuminate the scene outside. Dimly she could tell that something had landed on the balcony, slamming into her patio set in the process. Flipping on the bedside light, she unlatched the doors and stepped outside. She shivered from the cool early-spring night air, but all thoughts of the temperature vanished as the smell hit her nose, and she saw just what had smashed up her furniture. Like burned meat, the smell was coming from a person lying in the debris of one of the patio chairs.

"Hey, are you alright?" Kneeling next to the girl, the meaninglessness of that question curdled in her mind, as she was very clearly not "alright". Her clothing, or what remained of it, was some sort of green dress, but so much of it was either burned black or missing entirely that Yoshino couldn't tell what it originally looked like. One hand was gripping a katana, while her other hand was...Yoshino realized that what she thought was shadows was actually an entire side of the girl burned black. The girl's left arm simply stopped at the elbow. The hand holding the sword relaxed, the weapon clanking as it hit the floor. Yoshino grabbed the girl's hand. "Hold on, I'll get help. Just..."

"No...It's..." her voice was almost inaudible, Yoshino leaned in closer. "...it's too late...for...for me." The girl gasped for breath. "They...they're too strong...tell To..." Yoshino never learned what and who she needed to tell for in the most unbelievable event yet—the girl vanished, leaving Yoshino grasping at a few motes of green light. Even the katana the girl had been holding was gone.

Yoshino reached up and pinched her cheek, hard. It wasn't a dream. But if it wasn't a dream, what had just happened? Was she delusional? The adrenaline she hadn't even realized had kicked in suddenly shut off, and with it gone, she started to shiver. Coming down from the high, her mind raced. Should she get her mother? What would she tell her? She'd think she was crazy. No, best to just leave it for now and investigate later. Shakily she rose to her feet, turned and entered her room. Crawling onto her bed, she wrapped herself in her blanket, arms around her legs, head on her knees. The image of the girl's ruined face floated before her, even when she closed her eyes. Sleep never returned for Yoshino that night.

Unnoticed, a figure watched it all from a tree a hundred yards or so from Yoshino's balcony. Hinata Aina licked her lips in anticipation; she'd have to keep an eye on this little rich girl. Leaping into the air, flames appeared beneath her feet, rocketing her into the distance in a moment. She'd have time to deal with the girl later; now it was time for some 'relaxation' with Mikuru.

The forest around the Yoshino manor was still once again, but on the branch Hinata Aina had occupied, a small white creature with unblinking red eyes emerged from the shadows. Dwelling on regrets was a human failing; the Incubator felt no such emotions. The losses tonight were unfortunate and so no time could be wasted in procuring replacements.

* * *

_A/N: Thanks to voynix for proofing the chapter!_


	2. Chapter 1: Ordinary School Life

**Reaching for Eternity**

_Chapter 1: Ordinary School Life_

The sun's rays fell over the Yoshino mansion. Servants hustled about inside, beginning their daily chores, readying things for their master's first day of high school. The light of the sun streamed into Yoshino's window, illuminating the figure huddling on the bed. She hadn't moved for over two hours, trying to process what she had seen that night. A knock on her door; a voice called out to her "Yoshino, are you up?" It was her mother, the head servant.

Yoshino was, of course, up. She had been up the entire night. A slight smell of burnt flesh lingered in her nose—that hadn't vanished with the girl's body, and neither had the memories. The half-ruined face, an arm that ended at the elbow, skin charred so black it was impossible to tell where it ended and burned clothing began. Sleep had not come for Yoshino. "I..." She hadn't realized how dry her throat was. "I'm up. Thank you." Throwing off her blankets, she crawled out of bed. Her silk nightgown clung to her skin as she made her way to the bathroom.

Dumping her clothes in the hamper, she looked at herself in the mirror. Grey-black hair framed her face, falling down nearly to her shoulders. Her bangs were starting to fall into her eyes; she should probably get those trimmed soon. Said eyes were red and puffy; it looked like she'd been crying, though she didn't think she had—maybe she should have. Turning on the shower, she stepped into the falling water. Turning her head upwards, she let the warm spray cascade over her face for a few minutes, as she wondered what to do about last night. She refused to believe she was delusional, not to mention that she had one smashed patio chair to demonstrate that something had occurred.

"Who would believe this story?" she muttered to herself as she started to wash. "Heh...Yuka would believe me, of course." She smiled at the thought. Yuka would never think she was crazy, though she wasn't sure if she should tell Yuka. The thought of keeping things from her girlfriend—after all they had gone through—wrenched at Yoshino. What good would it do to tell her though, when she herself knew nothing at all? "I guess I'll hold off for now; things will be busy enough with the first day of high school." Turning off the water, Yoshino stepped out and began to dry herself off, finally feeling almost human again.

* * *

Uchida Yuka waited. She was actually early, since the agreed upon meeting time still five minutes away, but she was too excited to wait. She'd dashed out the door as soon as she could even though she knew it wouldn't make this meeting happen any sooner. Part of her still couldn't believe that her parents had agreed to let her ride to school every morning with Yoshino. After all that had happened—especially after she had run off without permission to go on that trip with Yoshino—she had expected her parents to insist on taking her to school themselves each morning. Even raising this suggestion had felt risky, as if merely putting it forth as an option was as good as giving it away. Surprisingly, they had agreed, though not without some restrictions. Some of those restrictions she wasn't even sure of herself; she just knew that her parents had insisted on speaking with both Yoshino's head servant and chauffeur about the arrangement. Whatever. It meant she could be with her, and that was enough.

Her reverie killed enough time that she had barely even realized the black limo had arrived before the back door swung open. Inside was Yoshino in her brand new school uniform, the twin of the one Yuka herself wore. "Good morning Yuka!" Something about Yoshino's voice seemed slightly off, but Yuka brushed it away as nerves on both their parts.

"Morning" she replied as she entered the limo, closing the door behind her. Arisawa was long past opening and closing car doors for her, and it was faster this way regardless.

Yoshino made a show of looking Yuka up and down, her gaze stopping on her chest. "Looks good on you." She deadpanned.

"Uuuuuuuu! You dirty old man!" Yuka buckled herself in as Yoshino motioned Arisawa to head off. She had to admit though, the uniform did look good on her, and its cut certainly emphasized assets that Yuka had in abundance. It was somewhat less flattering on Yoshino, though she'd finally started to grow in a bit. She imagined Chiaki was going to have words to say about the uniforms, however.

The trip to the school wasn't long, though it was a bit out of the way compared to their elementary or middle schools. Chiaki and the others would be meeting up and taking the bus to get there each morning. Yuka and Yoshino passed the time with idle chatter and gossip, making sure to keep their hands to themselves. Arisawa would let some stuff slide, but they were both still on thin ice with their parents and didn't want trouble just yet.

Finally the car came to a halt; they were actually still a few blocks from the school but as before Yoshino insisted on walking the last bit herself. Even though her status was far more widely known now, she seemed to consider it a matter of principle. _Besides,_ Yoshino thought, _there are far more effective, and less public, ways of flaunting wealth._ Yoshino opened the door herself and stepped out, turning and offering Yuka a hand. She was willing to restrain herself a bit, but she was going to touch her girlfriend occasionally. Yuka blushed a bit and took the proffered hand, stepping out of the car and onto the sidewalk.

Yuka's long hair, with its distinctive red tint, fluttered in the breeze as she emerged from the limo. Two small pigtails hung down on either side—she'd wanted to take them down, but Yoshino had insisted that she looked better this way. They weren't far enough from the school for there to be no students around and Yuka's appearance definitely made heads turn. Yoshino grimaced a bit when she saw a pair of boys trying, and failing, to avoid staring at Yuka, but, on the other hand, her ploy had definitely made it look like it was _Yuka_ who was the owner of the limousine, not Yoshino. What, if anything, this would achieve she wasn't sure, but if nothing else it could make for some very amusing rumors. With a slight gesture, Yoshino indicated for Arisawa to take his leave, then took Yuka's hand and joined the stream of students walking to school.

Just a few minutes later they were at the gate, where student council members and teachers were checking the uniforms of the new students to make sure everything was in order. It was that sort of school, after all. There seemed to be some sort of hang-up, however. An argument was in process—with several people moving their arms wildly—pointing at various bits of each other's uniforms. They had moved off to the side, but the natural human instinct to rubberneck was causing a traffic jam, as a number of students wearing disciplinary committee armbands frantically tried to move them along.

"I wonder what's going on over there?" Yuka was, of course, one of the rubberneckers. Yoshino on the other hand, already had a pretty good idea. This was only confirmed when a new voice joined the argument, a loud, pushy voice.

"You baka-yarou! What difference does it make if she's wearing pants?!" Yoshino rolled her eyes slightly, and Yuka made a silent "oh" with her mouth as she also figured out what was going on. They glanced at each other and began to work around the crowd, which was finally on the move again. The argument finally came into view and it was exactly what they expected.

A clipboard wielding upperclassman—her hair in a long braid and wire rimmed glasses falling slightly down her nose—was facing off against a somewhat unlikely trio. In the front was a short, somewhat underdeveloped looking girl with long brown hair, most notable for an odd tuft atop her head. She was currently explaining, at length, why it was none of the school's damn business what someone else wore.

Off to one side was a relatively short boy, his sandy hair somewhat longer than would generally be considered acceptable. He was looking back and forth between the two girls, as if trying to decide how to stop the confrontation. Neither seemed at all aware he was even present.

Finally there was the actual subject of the argument, though like the boy, her presence seemed to have been forgotten. Fairly tall as girls went, she had dark hair about the same length as the boy, and just as with Yuka, the cut of the female uniform jacket emphasized her chest quite nicely. However unlike Yuka, Yoshino or the other girls, she wasn't wearing the short skirt and thigh-high stockings that made up the rest of the girl's uniform. Instead she wore a pair of pants. Yoshino wasn't surprised, though she wished Touma had worn the skirt on at least the first day. Touma met Yoshino's eyes, and seemed about to call out to them, when a male voice interjected.

"Yoshino-san! Help!" Makoto, of course. He rushed over to her, wringing his hands. "You see, she stopped us when she saw Touma's pants, and then they started arguing, and then Chiaki..." he trailed off as Yuka started to giggle and Yoshino sighed. "This is serious, guys! I don't want them in trouble the first day!" Yoshino sighed again, but he was right. Leaving Yuka with Makoto, she walked over to where Chiaki was still haranguing the pour disciplinary committee representative.

"Chiaki!" She called out to get the short girl's attention. Chiaki stopped mid-invective and turned towards Yoshino.

"Do you have any idea what this baka-yarou said to Touma? She told her to go home and put on a proper uniform! Have you ever heard such..." she cut off as Touma interjected.

"I know I shouldn't have done it yet, I don't want Chiaki in trouble for this, I'll just..."

"You idiot!" Chiaki, again. "I'm not going to let you sacrifice your principles just because the small-minded baka-yarous" she gestured at the upperclassman; Chiaki held no respect for senpai, it appeared, "are uncomfortable with a girl wearing pants!" She crossed her arms with a harumph, directing a challenging look at the clipboard wielding girl.

The girl consulted her clipboard, "Minami-san," a slight look of confusion came over her face as she realized Touma and Chiaki were both 'Minami-san', "the uniform code is quite specific as to both the allowed uniform and the consequences of violating it." She ostentatiously pushed her glasses back up her nose, as Chiaki's face turned bright red in anger.

"Excuse me," Yoshino interjected, "may I have a moment of your time?" The girl looked at her in confusion, clearly wondering why yet another person was butting into what should have been a clear cut situation. "If you would, could you please contact the Student Council President? Tell him Yoshino wishes to speak with him." The girl looked highly unconvinced, but pulled out her cell phone and hit the shortcut for the President. A few brief words later and she handed the phone to Yoshino. "Yes, that's the situation. ...I understand, but if you would? ...thank you, I owe you one."

She handed the phone back to the girl, who held it back up to her own ear. "I...see. Thank you, President." The girl gave the phone an odd look when she finished, as if unsure she'd actually heard what she thought she heard. "It seems the Student Council President will be making an exception in your case, Minami-san." The girl seemed intent on ignoring both Yoshino and Chiaki. "However, you should refrain from any more disruptive activities of this nature going forward." She made a show of marking something on her clipboard, then spun and walked back towards the throng of students.

As the girl walked away, Yoshino shook her head slightly. She hadn't wanted to so explicitly throw her influence around, but thankfully the current Student Council President was one of her senpai from Middle School. He knew how to be discrete. She turned and headed over to where the other four had gathered, Touma and Makoto were still trying to calm Chiaki down while Yuka attempted to hold back gales of laughter. Before she took more than a couple of steps she stopped and turned, looking at the tall tree under which the confrontation had taken place. Seeing nothing, she shook her head again; the events of last night and now this were making her jumpy. She continued over to where her friends waited, and began to lecture Yuka on proper decorum.

High up in the tree, hidden in the shadows cast by the leaves, a small white animal with glowing red eyes watched.

* * *

Half an hour later, the fivesome sat in their new classroom, Class 1-3, to be specific. Yoshino was surprised they all ended up together, though she didn't know if the others believed her protestations that she hadn't pulled any strings. "I'm telling you, I didn't manipulate the class assignments; why would I lie about this?" Chiaki gave her a flat look, but Yoshino knew she was just being difficult to give them something to do. And to distract herself from what was going on one desk over.

Touma's confrontation with the Disciplinary Committee had not gone unnoticed (though thankfully Yoshino's own contribution to the event had apparently passed under the radar), mostly thanks to a certain soccer player who went by the name "Misawa". Touma's partner on the soccer field, self-declared winggirl and number 1 fan had followed her idol to their new school. Like Touma, she'd gotten a soccer scholarship and the school had made their acquisition of two of the city's brightest rising soccer stars into a bit of a recruitment tool. They were clearly hoping to see Touma and Misawa do for them what they'd done for their Middle School team. Misawa clearly saw an opportunity to burnish Touma's reputation, and was currently managing the crowd of first year girls who were trying to meet the athlete.

Yoshino was half paying attention, letting the sights and sounds flow through her. Yuka was busy gossiping with some of their classmates, mostly ones who didn't have much interest in tomboy soccer players. Chiaki, clearly noticing that Yoshino no longer wanted to discuss class assignments, had begun to stare daggers at Misawa's back. Misawa, for her part, appeared oblivious to Chiaki, though the girl was thoroughly aware of the status of Touma and Chiaki's relationship. Speaking of which, the third member of that strange trio was chatting with some of the other boys in the class, but kept glancing over to where Touma and Chiaki were, clearly wanting to do something, but unable to reveal that he was more-or-less dating both of them. Once more Yoshino was acutely aware of how strange her friends were, though she was hardly one to talk. Lowering her head onto her crossed arms, she closed her eyes, the missing sleep from the night before catching up with her at last.

No sooner had she closed her eyes than she found herself confronted with the image she'd spent all morning trying to escape. A girl's face, half destroyed by fire, her remaining eye wide with pain and terror. _Yoshino. Yoshino._ A voice she didn't recognize intruded into her head. It sounded like…a child? She couldn't tell if the voice were that of a boy or a girl. _Yoshino._ Just her name, repeated over and over…

"Yoshino. Yoshino!" Suddenly the voice was accompanied by shaking…and she recognized the voice. Opening her eyes, she found her face just inches from a pair of deep brown eyes, framed by red-brown hair. The cute mouth in front her moved again, words just above a whisper. "Hey, are you ok? You've been weird all day. I didn't want to say anything in front of the others, but it's not like you to sleep at a time like this." Yoshino wanted to do nothing more right that moment than to grab Yuka and kiss her. But she couldn't. She didn't know when she'd be able to. She could feel her eyes getting a bit wet.

Sitting up, she rubbed her eyes, both to wake herself up and to hide the incipient tears. "I'm ok. I just…didn't sleep too well last night. I was a bit nervous about today." She laughed lightly, something she was good at faking. Yuka looked unconvinced, but the teacher finally entering the classroom ended the conversation.

By the time homeroom had finished, Yoshino was elected Class Representative, to the surprise of no one who knew her. She'd hoped to avoid it, but was suggested by Makoto for some reason. It wasn't a big deal, since she was used to doing it by now and no one else wanted the position. Their teacher was fairly laid back; she let them choose their own seats, most of the students having already staked out their positions before she'd even arrived. Yoshino and her friends were clustered in the back. Yoshino herself was second from the back, next to the windows, with Yuka sitting right behind her. _I guess that makes me the main character…_ the idle thought made her crack a slight smile. To Yoshino's right was Chiaki, with Makoto behind her. In front of Chiaki sat Touma. Misawa had clearly figured out what was up, and had taken the seat in front of Yoshino.

_Yoshino. Your help is needed. You are the only one who can save the city._ The voice again, this time while she was wide awake! It was nearing the end of the day, their English teacher going over the plans for the course. She covertly started to look around the room, searching for the source of the voice. Finally she glanced out the window to her left, and her jaw dropped in shock. Sitting on the branch of the tree right outside her window was a small white animal. At first glance she thought it was a cat, until she noticed that coming out of its triangular cat-like ears were another set of long floppy ears, ending in golden rings not to the creature at all. Its two red eyes were perfect circles, and its mouth seemed formed into a permanent smile. _I will come to you tonight. Be ready, Yoshino._ The voice clearly came from the creature, but its mouth didn't move at all. With a cock of its head, the creature dashed into the shadows near the trunk of the tree, vanishing without a trace. It took conscious effort on Yoshino's part to not leap to her feet in surprise. Instead she kept herself firmly planted in her chair, turning her attention back to the class, hoping her face didn't betray the utter shock it by all rights should. It seemed, however, that she was the only one to notice the creature.

Assuming, of course, she wasn't losing her mind.

* * *

School ended a few hours later. Yoshino didn't really remember any of it. She had decided that she was not going mad, which of course could just be another sign that she was, in fact, going mad. Now she was sitting in the café she and her friends favoured, idly stirring a cup of coffee. Yuka and Makoto were busy planning out a shopping trip for the weekend, while Touma and Chiaki appeared to be in a competition to see who could devour the most cake. "Excuse me." Yoshino broke her silence and stood up, "I'm going to the restroom."

Dark eyes met in the mirror, grey-black bangs falling down over them. _I should get Nakanawa to trim them a bit._ She brushed the distracting thought aside. She looked fine. Her eyes were maybe a bit red, but that was nothing unusual.

"Hey, are you ok?" Yuka. Of course Yuka would follow her.

Yoshino turned and met Yuka's eyes. She could read the worry on her lover's face. "No, I'm not fine. I…" she paused. "…something happened last night, I can't tell you about it, not yet. Maybe tomorrow. It may end up being nothing in the end."

"Is…is it about us?" Yuka's voice caught slightly. Before she even realized she'd done so, Yoshino gathered Yuka in an embrace.

"No, it's not about us. We'll be together, no matter what. I promise. This is something else; just trust me, ok?" Yoshino pulled back a bit, so their eyes could meet. Yuka nodded in response. Yoshino felt Yuka's hands grip the back of her blazer, the long haired girl closing her eyes. Yoshino took the invitation, their lips meeting softly. A few moments later they separated.

"I wish we could do this openly." Yuka's voice was more resigned than sad. "I hate that we have to hide our love."

"I know, but barring a miracle, we'll have to keep it a secret for a while longer at least." Yoshino paused, as if noticing something. "Come on, this is technically public. Let's go back." Almost immediately afterwards the door opened, a girl wearing a different school's uniform entering the restroom. She didn't pay them any mind. Yoshino took Yuka by the hand and led her back to the table. Chiaki looked up from the sundae that had somehow appeared before her.

"What took you so long?"

* * *

That evening, Yoshino arrived home. Her chief servant greeted her at the door. "How was school?"

"It was fine. I ended up in the same class as everyone else, but that's about all worth mentioning." She felt that bringing up Touma's issues would be counterproductive. "First days don't really accomplish much, after all."

The two walked into the house proper. "You should know that your mother," Yoshino visibly bristled at the mention of that woman, but her chief servant continued "has settled into the mountain estate. The staff there report she is doing well." _Translation,_ Yoshino thought. _They know that they answer to her, not to the woman who happens to have my family name._ "Also," her voice took on a questioning tone, "you wouldn't know what smashed up that chair on your balcony, would you?"

This was it. This was confirmation that she was not losing her mind. If something had smashed up her deck furniture, it meant she had seen something the night before. "No, I don't. What happened?"

"One of the chairs is smashed into pieces, but there is nothing on the balcony that could have caused it. You didn't hear anything last night, did you? Nakanawa found it like that when she straightened your room after you left for school." Her chief servant's voice lacked any of the telltale probing tones, meaning she was genuinely curious.

"No, nothing unusual happened last night." More blatant lies. "Did you check the security cameras?"

"Of course, but nothing unusual appeared on them, and we don't have any pointed directly at second floor entrances either." Obviously. Yoshino wasn't sure why she was lying like this. Something told her to keep it secret, for now at least. "We will of course be increasing security because of this." It made sense, though Yoshino hoped the increased security wouldn't be too intrusive.

"How unusual, quite the mystery we have going on." Yoshino wanted to move away from this subject. "So, have the lawyers reported any new developments?" One of the advantages of being unreasonably wealthy was the ability to hire lawyers; right now she had half a dozen of them searching through inheritance law for a way out of the marriage stipulation. She knew it was only a matter of time until something popped loose.

"Nothing as of yet." Her chief servant might still have been less than thrilled about Yoshino's lifestyle choices, but she fully agreed with her charge on the idiocy behind the marriage requirement. "They did report some promising leads they plan to follow up, but nothing firm." The two had stopped before the main stairs during most of the conversation. Yoshino began to head up towards her room. "Dinner is in an hour."

* * *

Later that night, Yoshino stepped out of her attached bathroom, toweling her hair dry. The white creature had yet to appear, but she was sure it would. Tossing the towel into the hamper, she pulled out a set of pajamas and slipped them on.

_Greetings._ The same childlike voice from before, coming from everywhere and nowhere, as if it were entering her brain directly, instead of through her ears. Spinning around, she saw the creature sitting nonchalantly on one of the bedposts, its strange round red eyes meeting her own. _My name is Kyuubey. I am an Incubator._ Yoshino's brain searched for a proper response, but failed. The creature continued; its telepathy obvious now that she could see it was not moving its mouth at all. _I have come with a proposal for you to consider. Would you like to make a contract and become a Magical Girl?_

* * *

_A/N: Thanks to voynix for proofing the chapter!_


	3. Chapter 2: Breaking Fate

**Reaching for Eternity**

_Chapter 2: Breaking Fate_

"You want me to become a _Magical Girl_?" Yoshino couldn't keep the incredulity out of her voice. Putting her palm to her forehead she started to laugh. It was just too perfect and too ridiculous. Sitting on the post of her bed was a small cute creature asking her to be a magical girl like this was one of those Sunday morning cartoons she used to watch with Yuka. "Alright, Kyuubey." The creature was still there, staring at her with its perfectly round red eyes. "You want me to be a magical girl. What's the catch?"

_The catch?_ Its voice rang in her head, childlike and innocent, as if it didn't have a care in the world. _Ah, you mean a hidden agenda, a secret plan._ It tilted its head slightly to the side. _There is no 'catch', as you put it, but I am ready to discuss the details if you desire_.

Yoshino climbed onto her bed and sat cross-legged on top of the comforter, directing her gaze towards Kyuubey. "You said you wanted to make a contract with me; generally in a contract both sides are getting something out of it, so what do I get and what do you get?"

_Our contract involves you making a wish, any wish you desire. Once that wish is granted you will in exchange become a magical girl and hunt the demons which prowl your world._ A slight pause, then it continued. _The demons are manifestations of grief. By destroying them you gather energy, energy which we then use to counter the increasing entropy of the universe._

Yoshino's jaw dropped slightly. She wasn't exactly expecting to be recruited to fight for the cause of love and justice, but this was just a bit further in the opposite direction. "You said a wish? What kind of wish?" The possibilities raced through her mind.

_The wish may be whatever you desire. It will be granted through your own power; we merely facilitate its release._

Vague, but Yoshino decided to come back to that issue later. "You said specifically Magical _Girls_, so does that mean you only recruit girls? Can anyone use this power?"

_The potential only resides within adolescent human females. It is the only power capable of counter-acting entropy. We do not know why, just that that is how it has always been._

Yoshino tapped one finger against her chin as she contemplated her next question. "The 'demons', what are they? Why does no one know of them? If there were monsters hunting humans, shouldn't someone have figured it out by now?"

_The demons manifest from the ambient grief—the sadness and sorrow—of humanity. No one knows why they appear, simply that they do. When defeated by a Magical Girl, they drop what are called Grief Cubes, which the Magical Girls use to cleanse their soul gems. Once filled, we take the cubes and process them into the energy we need._

"Wait!" Yoshino interjected as she processed part of what the creature said.. "What was that about 'cleansing soul gems'" precisely?

_When you make your wish, your soul is transferred into a gem. When you use magic, that gem will become corrupted. Grief Cubes are used to cleanse your gem._ The horrifying words were spoken in that same chipper voice.

"You mean my soul would be removed from my body!? Yoshino lurched forward across her bed. ending up on all fours, her face centimeters from Kyuubey's.

_Yes. I don't know why this always provokes such a reaction. It's a very efficient system. It makes it so your body can withstand far more damage. You will only die if your soul gem is shattered or fully corrupted. In fact, barring either of those things happening, you can potentially live forever. _Somehow the expressionless creature still managed to look smug.

Yoshino's mind reeled. Part of her screamed to throw the rat out the window and tell it to never come back…but that was just a small part. The rest of her was busy contemplating possibilities. A soul for a wish. It was a classic story, one that almost always ended badly. But she had wanted a miracle and here one was for the taking. Not to mention—she had to admit to herself—the idea of immortality was tempting. With it she and Yuka…

"Alright, Kyuubey." Yoshino settled herself on the bed again, "I have a few more questions…"

* * *

The fireball burst through the miasma, incinerating half a dozen demons along its path. "Take that, you fuckers!" The cackling voice shouted out several more obscenities as additional blasts of flame cleared out the remaining demons. "What? No more? You cowards!" With all the demons gone, the miasma began to dissipate. "Dammit! I was just getting started." The redhead looked around for something to set on fire, her eyes settling on an expensive looking car parked along the street. Pointing her flame-topped staff at it, a jet of flame enveloped it in an instant. The light of the burning vehicle reflected in her red eyes, as if they contained the fires of hell itself.

For a moment she considered torching a few more cars, but before she could a telepathic murmuring entered her head. Mikuru was returning. She grabbed up the grief cubes left by the demons and set off towards the ice mage, using the telepathic noise as a locator signal. She found her on a nearby rooftop, staring up towards the stars. "Hey Mikuru, where've you been?" Talking to Mikuru via telepathy was always a dicey proposition, even for Aina. Few could handle being directly exposed to Mikuru's constant stream of telepathy. Most found it horrifying; Aina just felt it got in the way.

"Picking up some entertainment" Mikuru used one of her boots to nudge a shape lying on the ground next to her. Kneeling down, Aina rolled it over, revealing an unconscious teenage girl wearing a school uniform of some sort.

"Not that I mind, but you know what Oriko said…" Aina trailed off; she wasn't too happy with the restrictions Oriko had placed them under, but she wasn't going to break them.

"Oriko said no killing." Mikuru's deadpan tone would be horrifying, if there was anyone other than Aina to hear her. "So we won't kill her."

Aina considered that for a moment. "True enough." In fact the thought was starting to turn her on a bit. Aina picked up the unconscious girl, slinging her over a shoulder like she was a bag of rice. "Anything else you want to do before we head back?" Aina looked back towards the blue-haired girl.

Mikuru was staring off into space; suddenly she shook her head and turned towards Aina. "No, I just…" she trailed off; Aina could hear the telepathic murmurs increasing. "It's nothing. Let's go enjoy ourselves." Mikuru stepped up towards Aina, patting the unconscious girl on the back as she spoke. Together, they jumped off the rooftop, heading back to the base they'd set up in the warehouse district.

They never noticed the figure perched on the water tower a few rooftops away. A pair of soft lavender eyes followed the pair as they retreated into the distance. For a moment she almost went after them. In another time and place, she probably would have. But that was long ago, before she learned the harsh lessons of the world. What happened to that girl would happen, regardless of whether she herself interfered. Besides, this wasn't the event she'd been drawn here to see—that was still approaching. She could feel it coming; her soul gem resonated with its approach. Only once had she been led astray—not even a week before—when she met the mysterious magical girl named Akemi Homura.

No. She shook her head. It hadn't failed. Something happened that day; she just didn't know what it was. Someday she would learn why Akemi had been watching the sky and why she—Clarisse van Rossum—had been drawn to her. Standing, she considered once more pursuing the two; she could still catch them and defeat them easily. Instead, she jumped down from the roof, landing lightly in a dark alleyway. Transforming back, she walked out into the main area of the city, blending with the late night crowds.

* * *

Yuka's brow creased slightly as Yoshino yawned again. Yoshino had already insisted that she was fine, that she'd just been up late working on something. Yuka didn't think she was lying, but she was certainly not telling the whole truth. They were sitting in the classroom, waiting for the teacher to arrive and start homeroom. Thankfully this morning had been less eventful than the last as no one had batted an eye at Touma's pants. Touma was attempting to engage Chiaki in conversation, but the tufted girl was asleep on her desk.

Yuka then noticed that something, or someone, was missing. "Hey, Touma." The soccer player turned her attention towards Yuka. "Have you seen Misawa-san today? Isn't she usually hanging around you in the mornings?"

Touma glanced over towards the empty desk in front of Yoshino, apparently just noticing that the girl wasn't around. "No, I haven't. Maybe she's just running late. It happens." Touma shrugged slightly and turned around; the teacher had arrived and started homeroom.

At lunchtime, Misawa-san was still absent. As the lunch period began, their homeroom teacher called Touma to the teacher's lounge. When she returned, worry was plain on her face.

"Misawa never made it home last night." Yuka gasped slightly, as Yoshino and the others did the same. "They wanted to know when I had last seen her. I said she left practice and we walked to the bus stop together, where we took different busses. Mine came first, so I don't know if she even got on hers." Touma's fists clenched as tried to keep her composure. Both Chiaki and Makoto started to move towards her, but Makoto held back, letting Chiaki take the lead.

"It's not your fault. Don't be an idiot." Of course Chiaki's idea of "consoling" someone could be considered…less than gentle. "You aren't her bodyguard, and there is no guarantee that whatever happened to her wouldn't have happened to you as well. She's very nearly as strong and fast as you are, after all." Chiaki glanced up as Makoto coughed slightly.

"And we don't know if anything bad actually happened!" Makoto interjected. "For all we know she's fine. She could have just…" he trailed off, clearly at a loss of what could account for her disappearance.

Yuka wanted to join in, but was at a loss for what to say in this sort of situation. She glanced over towards Yoshino and very nearly did a double-take. She'd expected Yoshino to look concerned, but the expression she saw was one she'd never seen before. Concerned definitely but also…determined? Yuka found herself staring for a moment—she could have sworn she knew every one of Yoshino's moods, but this was brand new. Snapping herself out of the reverie, she gently nudged her girlfriend.

"Hey, what do you think? Is there any way you can help?" Yoshino's gaze snapped to the redhead, and in those dark orbs Yuka could see the determination reflected even stronger.

"I don't know. I'll bring it up with my mother, but there really isn't anything we can do that the police won't already be trying." Yuka could almost hear the unspoken "but" in that sentence. She wanted to push Yoshino on it, but not here.

The day continued uneventfully, though by the time the final bell rung rumors had begun to spread. They were vague, but most of the school knew that there was a first year girl missing, though there were enough absences today to disguise that it was Misawa. Tomorrow everyone would know, unless she miraculously reappeared by morning.

"We'll stay here; you two go home." Chiaki said to Yoshino and Yuka. "Makoto and I have been planning on staying and watching Touma's practices occasionally so we'll just make this the first one." Yuka wondered about the rumors that would eventually start, but brushed the distracting thought aside.

"I see." The look from earlier had vanished from Yoshino's face, but her voice seemed oddly…distracted. "Call us if you need anything. This could be very rough on Touma in the end." Grabbing her shoes out of the locker, Yoshino swapped them with her indoor shoes. "If I think of anything I'll give you a call. Coming, Yuka?"

Yuka finished swapping her own shoes and, with a hurried goodbye to Chiaki, rushed after her rapidly departing girlfriend. As they left the school grounds, she checked to make sure no one was in earshot and then leaned close. "What is up with you today? You were acting weird yesterday, but now you are really worrying me." Yoshino paused and looked around, before motioning Yuka into a nearby alley.

"Yuka, I'm sorry about how I'm acting but it's just…like I said yesterday, there is something going on I can't tell you about. Not yet. By tonight, one way or another, I can tell you. I just need you to trust me for a few more hours." She reached out and embraced Yuka. "I know you're worried about me and I hate that I'm making you worry."

Yuka returned the hug, wrapping her arms tightly around Yoshino's back. "Alright, I trust you, I've always trusted you. But I want answers by tomorrow! No getting out of it, _Yoshino_." Yuka stressed the name she almost never used. "Just tell me one thing: does this involve what happened to Misawa?"

"I...I don't know. I'm sorry. I don't know if I want it to or not, honestly." Yoshino ran her fingers through Yuka's hair before breaking the embrace. "Speaking of which, I want you to stay home tonight. No going out shopping or anything, ok?" Yuka nodded. "I'll text you tonight, probably late. Be ready for it." Yuka nodded again. "Let's get you home."

* * *

Yoshino was surprised at how much leeway Yuka was giving her, since she was acting incredibly strangely. She'd almost made up her mind; she just needed to ask a few more questions.

"Arisawa, I need to get out here." Yoshino's words broke the silence of the ride.

"Are you sure? It is getting rather late." Arisawa pulled to a stop anyway.

"Yes, I'm sure. I'm meeting someone at the bookshop. Wait for me here, please." Yoshino opened the car door and stepped outside. They were in the middle of the shopping district, the sidewalks filled with people shopping on their way home from school and work. Yoshino entered the flow of people, guided by a voice no one else could hear.

As she turned into a side street, she suddenly found herself falling backwards, after having run right into someone turning the corner in the opposite direction. Before she could hit the ground, a hand reached out and grabbed her.

"Oh! I'm so sorry!" The female voice had a distinct German accent, unusual in this city. Yoshino regained her balance, the stranger's hand still in her own. Glancing down, she was struck by an unusual marking on the woman's ring fingernail. Fingernail appliqué were hardly unusual, though Yoshino had never seen a girl use a gear pattern before. Letting go of the woman's hand, Yoshino looked up at the person she'd bumped into.

"No, I should have been looking where I was going, I'm sorry." Yoshino returned the apology. The woman—girl really—seemed to be a bare few years older than Yoshino but was unmistakably a foreigner. Her light purple hair had an oddly disorganized look to it and framed an unremarkable but still attractive face. Something else about this girl pulled at Yoshino. Somewhere—deep inside—she could feel that they were similar.

"We were both at fault then." The girl's accent was remarkably pleasant to listen to. Yoshino had never met a foreigner with such a command of Japanese. She was a little disappointed since she'd actually learned some German. Oh well.

Her train of thought was interrupted by the girl's voice. "Oh! Look at the time! I must be on my way. Perhaps we will meet again. Auf wiedersehen!" The girl spun and walked away, turning around once more to wave at Yoshino.

Yoshino shook her head—strange encounters with foreigners were not the reason she was here, after all. With a last glance towards the back of the German girl, she headed back into the alley.

Clarisse van Rossum waited until she was sure the girl had headed down the side street before ducking into another one herself. She still wasn't sure what was going to happen, but she knew that that girl was the key.

* * *

The late afternoon sun bathed the rooftop in a golden light. Yoshino closed her eyes and basked in it for a moment.

_Are you ready to make a contract, Yoshino?_ The childish voice entered her head. Opening her eyes, she turned towards the voice, somehow knowing the direction it came from. Kyuubey sat atop the roof stairwell entrance, looking down on her as its tail swished slowly.

"I have a few more questions, actually." Yoshino was fairly certain she knew the answers to what she was about to ask, but she needed to hear them from the Incubator itself.

_Very well then. What do you wish to know?_

"The girl, the one who appeared on my porch two days ago; she was a Magical Girl, wasn't she?"

_Yes, she was the last of this city's Magical Girls. Their deaths are why I sought you out._ The Incubator's voice belied no emotion at the statement.

Yoshino took a deep breath—she was certain she knew what the next answer would be, though she wished she didn't. "Those girls, they weren't killed by Demons, were they?"

The Incubator seemed to pause before answering, though it might have been her imagination. _No, they were not._ Yoshino waited to see if it would continue.

"They were killed by other Magical Girls, weren't they?" Yoshino's voice was flat and hard.

_Yes._ _Two Magical Girls from a neighboring city killed this city's Magical Girls two nights ago._

Yoshino let out the breath she didn't know she was holding. "Thank you. That is what I needed to know." She took a few more deep breaths, finally locking eyes with the creature.

"Incubator!" Her voice rung across the rooftop, loud and clear. "Are you ready to hear my wish?"

She could feel the Incubator's mind, as it opened up to receive her desire. _The contract is ready, Yoshino. I await your wish._

"I wish to not be bound to fate, to be able to conduct my life as I see fit without the restrictions or interference of others."

_The wish is granted. __Your soul has successfully reduced entropy__._

A brilliant blue light erupted from Yoshino. Her body screamed in pain as she felt a portion of herself ripped away. And then as suddenly as it started it was over. Opening her eyes, she saw a bright blue light floating in front of her chest. Reaching out, she grabbed it. The light faded, leaving her holding a crystal egg. The cerulean egg seemed to glow with an inner light and just by holding it she could tell that it was indeed her soul gem.

_Transform. A miasma has appeared._ Kyuubey's voice entered her mind. Looking around Yoshino realized the roof had become surrounded by a dense fog. Holding the gem up, she transformed, though how she knew how to do so was beyond her. Ribbons of blue light enveloped her body, before vanishing in a burst of sparkles.

Instinctively Yoshino's right hand moved to her left upper arm, where she could feel the soul gem. Twisting her shoulder a bit she saw it had transformed into a cerulean hexagon and was now embedded into her very skin. Then when she noticed the rest of her clothing. A blue skirt looking vaguely like a short hakama ending well above her knees was paired with a white blouse with matching blue trim. Detached sleeves were tied to her arms with blue ribbons, leaving her shoulders and armpits bare. Her legs were covered white thighhighs with similar blue trim and on her feet were a pair of pokkuri sandals. It looked completely ridiculous and impractical.

"Hey, what's with this outfit!" Kyuubey just looked at her with what she swore was an amused expression.

_Outfits are determined by the Magical Girl herself, so you have no one but yourself to blame if you dislike it. Summon your weapon; the demons are here._ As if to emphasize its point, a laser blast hit right where the Incubator had been sitting just moments before.

Yoshino dodged several blasts herself, somehow able to tell right where they were going to hit. Reaching out with one hand, she summoned her weapon, again knowing how instinctively. With a burst of blue light she found herself holding a two meter long blue pole, topped with a sword blade at least another half meter in length. She could see the demons now, massive humanoid figures lurching through the streets. More lasers blasted from their outstretched fingers.

With a running start she leapt off the roof, surprised at how easily she could run in her seemingly impractical sandals. As she flew through the air she grabbed her naginata with both hands and swung with all her might. The blade sliced right through the neck of the nearest demon, causing it to dissolve into light before it vanished entirely. Her jump had carried her all the way to the roof of the building across the street, which she landed on with both feet skidding across the tarmac surface.

Without even looking, she reversed the naginata and stabbed backwards, feeling it impact the body of a second demon. Spinning around, she used both hands to haul the blade upwards, bisecting the monster vertically. It was then she realized that she could tell where all the demons were without even being able to see them. Closing her eyes, she concentrated and, as if she had radar in her head, she could tell there were ten more demons left. She could also sense Kyuubey, sitting on a roof near the edge of the Miasma, and with him was…Yoshino gasped as she got a clear sense of who was with the Incubator.

Running to the edge of the roof, she could see the rest of the demons had clumped together. With a mental command the shaft of the Naginata extended, the blade shooting forward like an arrow from a bow. Bursting straight through two demons bodies, it embedded itself in the side of a building across the street. Dropping the staff, Yoshino leapt onto the pole, now acting as an impromptu walkway, albeit an incredibly perilous one.

Despite her ridiculous sandals and the tiny cross section of the pole, Yoshino had no difficulty balancing herself. Stretching her arms to either side, she summoned a naginata in each hand. She then slammed the butt ends of both weapons together, leaving her holding a double-bladed staff over five meters in length.

The two demons that had been impaled by the first naginata had long since dissipated, leaving eight conveniently grouped four and four on either side of her. Whirling the double ended staff above her head, Yoshino began to run down the pole. As she ran, the blades on the spinning naginata began to extend even further, turning Yoshino into the center point of something akin to a giant lawnmower blade. As the blades began to slice into the demons a yell of battle emerged from Yoshino.

* * *

_She's not bad, actually_. Clarisse van Rossum once again sat atop a rooftop water tower, watching Yoshino slice her way through the demon horde. Clarisse still did not know why the girl was important, just that her Soul Gem was now pulling her elsewhere, indicating that this girl's contract was indeed the event she'd been summoned to observe.

_Hello, van Rossum. _The distinctive voice of an Incubator entered her mind. Moments later the creature hopped up onto the water tower, settling next to her.

"Well aren't you informal; how unusual for a Japanese Incubator." Clarisse had met more Incubators than probably any other Magical Girl in history and she had long since lost any sense of awe or respect for them. "Your new girl isn't bad, though she hardly seems special enough to draw me out here."

_Perhaps, though she did have a most ambitious wish. _The Incubator repeated the wish, causing Clarisse's eyebrows to rise slightly.

"Well, that is quite the unusual wish. Perhaps she is destined for great things." She stood and stretched, deliberately keeping her voice level. "At any rate, my job here is done. I have places to go, though where I'm not quite sure." _That wish. She couldn't have!_

She jumped down to the roof below, heeled boots clicking as she landed.

"Now, now, isn't it considered polite to introduce yourself when you enter someone else's territory?" Clarisse spun around just as Yoshino stepped from behind the stairwell, her naginata resting on her shoulder. "Kyuubey said that this town's Magical Girls were all dead, which makes me wonder why you have been skulking around. Somehow I doubt our previous meeting was a coincidence." Yoshino paused for a moment, lightly tapping the shaft of her naginata against her shoulder. "You wouldn't happen to enjoy Earl Grey, would you?"

* * *

_A/N: Thanks to voynix for proofing the chapter!_


	4. Chapter 3: Eternal Shield

**Reaching for Eternity**

Chapter 3: _Eternal Shield_

Clarisse van Rossum's reflection looked back at her from the dark red tea; being served classic English tea while in this western style mansion drove home that Yoshino was not an ordinary newly contracted Magical Girl. Taking a sip, she looked over her surroundings; they were in a small sitting area in what was obviously Yoshino's room. A king four-poster bed dominated one end, its coverings decorated in an understated yet feminine style. The rest of the room was similar; clearly the room of a girl, but not ostentatiously so. One closed door presumably led to the bathroom while an open door gave a glimpse of an office area with a desk some CEOs might envy.

A glance at Yoshino revealed the dark-haired girl calmly sipping her tea, her expression nearly unreadable. _She's probably seeing if she can get me to ask what she wants_. Clarisse van Rossum was unused to dancing to the tune of another; her very presence here was unusual. She was fascinated by the implications of the wish Yoshino made, but her soul gem was already pulling her elsewhere. So why was she sitting here calmly having tea with this girl? Ever since they met on the rooftop Clarisse had felt like she was being pulled into Yoshino's orbit. She'd backed up the story Yoshino had given her chauffeur; that Clarisse was a friend from online whose family was visiting Japan who had come over to this town to meet Yoshino. Clarisse had even amped up her accent for the occasion. The ride to the Yoshino mansion had been remarkably quiet, both verbally and telepathically. The Incubator—apparently this one liked to be called 'Kyuubey'—had spent the trip in Yoshino's lap and was now curled up on the nearby sofa, appearing to be asleep. The rattling of Yoshino's cup being placed on its saucer returned Clarisse's attention to the girl.

"I guess I've held you in suspense long enough." Yoshino sat back and crossed her legs. "I'm new to this Magical Girl thing—as you obviously know—and I have a few things I'd like to discuss. Unfortunately this city appears to be suffering from a severe shortage of Magical Girls. As the only one around who isn't a murdering, kidnapping psychopath I volunteered you to help me out." Clarisse tried very hard to avoid reacting, but something must have leaked through her façade.

"Yes, I know that my friend was abducted by two Magical Girls. Or I should say I know she's currently unconscious in the same building as two Magical Girls." Yoshino shrugged. "The logical conclusion is that they are the ones who abducted her."

"You aren't planning to…" Clarisse's voice trailed off, she was trying not to get involved!

Yoshino chuckled lightly. "No, I'm not planning on rushing off to try and save Misawa-san right this minute. Those two defeated a number of much more experienced Magical Girls; throwing my life away won't help her or anyone else."

"You're a clairvoyant, aren't you?" Clarisse noted the odd look Yoshino was giving her. "Most Magical Girls fall into one of a number of broad categories. Teleporter, Clairvoyant, Barrier, that sort of thing. Your ability to sense your friend's location sounds like a type of clairvoyance." Picking up her tea she took a sip, "Tell me how your powers work. You should know instinctively but talking about them can help with developing them properly."

Yoshino's brow furrowed slightly in thought. "I was actually testing them earlier, when we were both drinking tea." _She doesn't want to say 'having a battle of wills'. Tactful girl._ "I have two…modes, I guess you could call them. One is like radar in my head. I have constant knowledge of everyone who is within about two-hundred meters of me, though the locations are rather rough. If I concentrate I can extend it out to just over a kilometer and gain far more detailed information. This works for humans and demons but not animals." Kyuubey's ear twitched notably. "Incubators as well; I don't mean to imply that you are an _animal_." The white creature seemed to settle slightly. The two girls' eyes met and then rolled towards the ceiling in unison. A giggle followed, Clarisse slapped her hand over her mouth when she realized it had come from her.

"You're pretty cute when you relax, actually." Clarisse felt her cheeks heat from the embarrassment of both being caught giggling, then complemented like that. "At any rate, that's how the first mode works. The second mode is targeted. I can determine the precise location and activities of any person I know, with the range seemingly dependent on how well I know them. I'm still testing out the limits, but they are pretty generous. Someone I know very well I could probably pinpoint from across Japan, while someone whom I just know the name and face of is limited to perhaps only a few kilometers. Misawa-san is well within my range and while I don't know anything about the girls who abducted her I can sense their presence; though no more than that they are in her vicinity."

Yoshino's face turned serious. "I'm actually devoting a constant bit of attention to her. I can tell she's unconscious but alive, which is why I'm not rushing after her. But I do intend on saving her and if something changes I will go after her immediately." Clarisse met Yoshino's gaze finding that the girl's dark eyes were now hard as obsidian.

"That…that probably won't be an issue." Clarisse hadn't wanted to reveal this. "I happened to overhear them talking." She averted her eyes from Yoshino's. "They said their leader told them not to kill anyone. Well, anyone other than this city's Magical Girls. So she'll most likely be ok, and they might even let her go without you doing anything. They just want to have a toy." Her voice had dropped to a whisper by the end. She realized her face was burning again, but for a completely different reason.

"A toy." Yoshino's voice had all the warmth of liquid helium. "That 'toy' is a friend of mine. Her name is Misawa, Misawa Mai. She loves playing soccer; especially when playing with the girl she loves. A girl whom she knows will never return her feelings. Even so, she stays by her side, hiding the pain she feels. She didn't have to do this. She could have gone to another school, been the star of their soccer team. She could have carried that team all the way to the finals. Once there she would have met that girl once again, only on opposite sides of the field. She couldn't do that. She worked hard to get into the same school, simply because she loved that girl so much. Yet here you are, calling her a 'toy' for the amusement of a couple of psychopaths." Yoshino stood and moved around the table. Summoning her soul gem she held it before Clarisse. "We have this power. We may not be able to solve everything, but at the very least we should prevent its misuse by others of our kind."

Clarisse felt Yoshino's power as it emanated from the soul gem as brightly as the cerulean light. _This girl was not one to be trifled with. But who was she? Who was she to lecture _Clarisse van Rossum_ on the proper use of power? She couldn't possibly understand. She had tried. She had done what Yoshino said. Used her power to try to save others and failed. Failed and failed and failed again!_

"You don't understand. You've lived in peace. Your friend is in danger? You don't know what real danger is. You didn't see your entire family murdered. You didn't see your every attempt to stop the killings thwarted by others with the same powers. I have tried to fight against fate, to save everyone, to be a hero." Tears started to fall from her eyes, but she no longer cared. "You can't avoid fate. If you think you can, then you are just deluding yourself." She looked up, her tear-stained eyes defiantly meeting Yoshino's, which suddenly seemed so much softer than before.

"Ah, but you forget one thing Clarisse." Yoshino lifted her Soul Gem, its glow even brighter than before. "Fate no longer has a hold over me."

* * *

The bright red numerals were one of the few sources of light in the room. They were also the sole focus of the room's occupant. Uchida Yuka lay in her bed, eyes focused on the bedside clock. As she watched, the numbers flipped. 2259 became 2300. Her phone remained silent.

She'd spent much of the evening talking with Chiaki and Makoto, both on the phone and over instant messaging. Touma's soccer practice had ended early, with Misawa missing. The other team members had been distracted and it didn't help that a police officer had shown up wanting to speak to Touma. According to Chiaki, Touma told the officer the same thing she'd told the school: the last time she'd seen Misawa was after practice the day before, when she got on her bus to head home. The officer did tell Touma that nothing new had been discovered and that no one had contacted Misawa's family about a ransom.

Chiaki and Makoto had accompanied Touma back to her house, but she'd told them she wanted to be alone. She hadn't answered her phone or gotten online since. Luckily, Akira was the only one of Touma's brothers home at the time, so they were able to explain things to him. He promised to keep an eye on her and to make sure Natsuki didn't say anything stupid. Both Makoto and Chiaki were worried that Touma was going to go off searching for her herself. Yuka tried to reassure them that Touma wouldn't put herself in danger, but she wasn't so sure herself.

Chiaki also tried to pump her for information on why Yoshino was acting so strangely. She said neither Touma nor Makoto seemed to notice, but she could tell. Yuka admitted she didn't know but Yoshino had promised to explain it to her tonight. This brought Yuka's thoughts back around full circle to the present. Without warning, her phone began to buzz. She was so startled she nearly fell out of her bed. Flipping it open. she began to grin. It was a text from Yoshino.

_Get dressed and open your window._

Yuka blinked and read it again. It still said the same thing. Sitting up, she stared at the glowing screen for a few more moments before flipping the phone closed. Turning on her desk lamp, she shucked off her nightgown and grabbed some shorts and a t-shirt out of her closet. Quickly putting them on, she then moved over to her window. Pulling the curtains open revealed a clear moonlit night. The moonlight streamed into her room, overpowering the light from her lamp. Carefully Yuka undid the latch and swung the window open.

Returning to her desk, she flipped off the light, leaving the room bathed in the silvery moonlight. "Ok, now what?" Right after she spoke, a light thumping noise attracted her attention. Turning around, she saw a figure kneeling in the moonlight. The white and blue clad figure—reminding Yuka of a shrine maiden—kept their head down, but that didn't stop Yuka from recognizing them. Yoshino raised her head, her dark eyes meeting Yuka's gaze.

"Your prince has arrived, my dear princess." Yoshino stood and moved over to her before Yuka could react. Yoshino easily swept her into her arms. Yuka knew Yoshino was taller and stronger, but this was ridiculous. This was obviously just a dream. Squeezing her eyes shut, she opened them again—just in time for Yoshino to leap out the window, Yuka still cradled in her arms.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" Yuka's scream echoed around the silent neighborhood—right as she realized that not only had they not fallen to the ground two stories below, they had in fact been launched all the way across the street. Looking down, Yuka saw Yoshino's feet land on the chimney of another house before launching them back into the air. _This can't be happening. I must be having an insane dream_. But it kept happening. From rooftop to rooftop, as if they were simply skipping along a stone path. _Fine. I'll think about something else. Like why is she wearing this ridiculous outfit?_ That thought made Yuka realize how tightly Yoshino was holding her. She could feel her breasts pushing up against her side. Her cheeks started to heat as she thought about it.

"Hey, Yuka, you ok?" Yoshino's voice sounded almost disgustingly calm and collected.

"No I am not ok! You send me a bizarre text, somehow jump through my window, grab me and then leap back out the window! How could I possibly be ok with that?" Yuka looked upwards and saw that Yoshino was actually _grinning_. Oh, she was so going to pay for this later.

"Hold on tight, this is going to be a long one." Yuka threw her arms around Yoshino's neck as the dark haired girl leaped harder than ever before. Yoshino looked down at Yuka, who had squeezed her eyes shut again. "Yuka, look."

Yuka opened her eyes; they were hundreds of feet in the air. The city was illuminated with its myriad lights, the sky above filled with thousands of stars. Dominating it all was the silver moon, looming larger and seemingly closer than she'd ever seen it before.

"It's beautiful…" She could feel them begin to descend once more. Locking her eyes on Yoshino's face, she held tight, believing that Yoshino knew what she was doing. A few long moments later she could hear Yoshino's feet hitting a roof—the odd clattering noise making her wonder what her shoes were made of—and Yuka found herself being lowered to the ground. Feeling cool concrete beneath her bare feet, she looked around and realized she'd seen this roof before. It was the roof of their old elementary school, the one they'd begged Yoshino's 'mother' to let her attend.

For a moment Yuka just stood there, looking at Yoshino. The full moon gave more than enough light for her to see just how ridiculous the outfit was. Suddenly, the ridiculous clothes vanished in a burst of blue light, replaced by a casual outfit Yuka had seen dozens of times before. Yoshino let out a peal of laughter.

"Oh Yuka, I wish you could see the expression on your face right now. It's truly priceless." Yoshino grabbed Yuka in an embrace. "I'm sorry to do this to you so suddenly, but I couldn't resist; I knew your reaction would be just too entertaining."

"So this isn't a dream? This is real?" Yuka was having trouble processing everything that had happened. Yoshino's casual behavior wasn't helping.

"Yes, this is reality. I'll prove it to you." Yoshino's hand cupped Yuka's chin, tipping her head upwards. Their lips met. Yuka's arms moved in response, pulling Yoshino's head down. The kiss both lasted an eternity and was over before she knew it. Yuka wished she could spend the rest of her life like that: just her and Yoshino with the world no longer a concern.

"More…" The word slipped from her lips. Yoshino hugged her again.

"Later. I have things to tell you about first." Grabbing Yuka by the hand, Yoshino led her to one of the benches scattered across the roof. Sitting on the bench—as if it had been waiting for them—was an odd white creature. It looked like a cat with floppy ears coming out its ears and golden rings floating impossibly around their tips. It cocked its head, round red eyes looking directly at Yuka.

_Welcome, Uchida_. A childlike voice rang inside her head. _We have much to discuss._ Yuka froze in place, her eyes darting towards Yoshino. Yoshino had already sat down on the bench, the creature relocating itself onto her lap.

"Sit down, Yuka." Yoshino patted the space next to her. "This might take a while." Yuka sat down, turning slightly to face Yoshino, who did the same in turn.

Yoshino reached over and took Yuka's hands in her own. "It all started the night before the first day of school…"

* * *

By the time Yoshino was finished, Yuka was back to thinking she must be dreaming. "You're a Magical Girl? Do you really expect me to believe that?" Yuka felt like her head was going to explode. "So not only did this Kyuubey make you into a Magical Girl, but he did so by granting you a wish?" Yoshino nodded in response.

Yuka stood up turning to face Yoshino and Kyuubey. "Kyuubey." The creature tilted its head. "Can I become a Magical Girl?"

"Yes. You do have the potential. You can make a contract and become a Magical Girl." Yuka saw Yoshino fidget a bit.

"Yuka, I…" Yoshino's voice trailed off for a moment. "I want you to think carefully about this. I don't want you to feel pressured into doing this for my sake. If you don't want to, I understand. This is dangerous. The demons, those two Magical Girls who abducted Misawa-san…I want you by my side, but I also don't want you to be in danger." Yoshino looked up and smiled wanly. "Just remember that no matter what you choose, I will always love you."

Yuka looked into her girlfriend's eyes. She could tell that Yoshino was worried. That she was concerned that everything she and the creature—Kyuubey—had described could put her in danger. Yuka felt her love for Yoshino deepen even more, something she would have sworn was impossible. Yoshino, despite all her misgivings, had still given her the opportunity to make this choice.

She had her own doubts about the risks, but that was the very reason she had to do this. She could not let Yoshino face those risks alone. Yuka saw before her a path stretching towards eternity, Yoshino waiting for her to step onto it with her. Down the path lay conflict and danger, but she would be there to protect Yoshino, to support her with everything she had.

Yuka kneeled down in front of Yoshino. Taking Yoshino's left hand in her own, she touched the back of it to her cheek. "Thank you." Continuing to hold Yoshino's hand, spoke to Kyuubey. "I'm ready to make my wish."

"Yuka, shouldn't you think it over first?"

"I already have. There is only one thing I want." Yuka smiled broadly at Yoshino then spoke, her eyes not leaving Yoshino but her words addressed to the Incubator.

"My wish…" Yuka took a deep breath. "My wish is to stay by her side, as her partner, protector and the mother of her children." As she finished Yuka lifted Yoshino's hand to her lips, kissing the silver ring around her middle finger.

Ruby-red light erupted from Yuka. Her entire body screamed in pain. She could just barely see Yoshino yelling something and half heard the Incubator's voice, but its words didn't register. The light coalesced, forming into an egg-like shape floating in front of her chest. She grasped it with her hands, finding herself holding a crystal and gold egg glowing with a brilliant ruby light.

Yoshino held up her hand, summoning her own Soul Gem. Stepping forward, she held her own cerulean and gold egg out towards Yuka's. The glow of the Soul Gems increased and then began to pulse. Alternating, red and blue, the pulses began to fall into sync. When they achieved unison their light became even brighter than before. The red and blue merged together, forming patterns of red and blue light. Yoshino's eyes met Yuka's. The Soul Gems touched, the red and blue light flashing to incandescent brightness.

Neither would ever be able to put it into words. Not to each other, not to others. But in that instant they connected. For a moment that felt like an eternity their souls merged. For that instantaneous eternity the separate beings known as "Yoshino" and "Yuka" were replaced by a new whole. The moment ended, Yoshino and Yuka separated again, though each now contained a tiny portion of the other. Inside Yuka's ruby gem, tiny specks of blue could be seen; likewise tiny specks of red floated within Yoshino's cerulean gem.

At a signal neither could identify but understood nonetheless, they summoned their costumes. Yoshino's blue and white miko outfit was now further outlined with thin red lines. The red seemed to glow slightly, contrasting with the rest of the dress. The red light that had surrounded Yuka vanished, revealing her outfit. A ruby-red Chinese-style dress descending to mid thigh with slits extending up the sides to just above her hips. Her soul gem—in the shape of an inverted arrowhead—was nestled above her breasts, revealed by a diamond-shaped cutout. On her feet were a pair of matching pumps. The dress was patterned in abstract designs, traced out in thin, slightly glowing blue lines.

"I can feel you, Yuka. Here," Yoshino touched her hand to her Soul Gem and then clasped her hands over her chest "and here". Yoshino looked at Yuka, and for all that she knew every inch and curve of the girl standing before her, she saw her in a way she never had before. Stepping forward, she again embraced Yuka: her best friend, her lover, her inseparable partner.

_I never want this to end. I don't ever want to be separated from you._ Yoshino directed the thought to Yuka, whose body twitched a bit in surprise.

_I will never leave you, and you will never leave me. I can feel you inside. We are a part of each other now, forever. This is a result of my wish. I don't know why or how, I simply know. _

_Yuka, we have company._ _I'm pretty sure she's not friendly._ Yoshino concentrated for a moment. S_he sure can move fast_—_she must be flying somehow._

The two finally broke their embrace and turned to look upwards. A fiery red dot was clearly visible above them. "Oooh! I wish I could fly!" Yuka's voice was a bit envious. "I think she's charging something up. I can feel it in my Soul Gem." Yoshino could also feel it, a massive buildup of power.

"Yuka, I think we should get away from here. We're sitting ducks on this roof." Yoshino was still trying to figure out how to deal with someone who could fly. She hadn't counted on that.

"No, it'll be fine." Yuka's voice was flat and determined. "Oh, here it comes!" The figure high above had finished charging and now a massive jet of flame descended towards the two girls standing atop the school. Yuka turned to Yoshino and smiled, taking Yoshino's hand in her own. The blue lines on Yuka's costume flared to light, the exact same color as Yoshino's Soul Gem. A brilliant red dome appeared over the school, encompassing almost the entire building. The flames hit the dome 10 meters above the roof, harmlessly splashing aside and dissipating. The dome vanished, only to reappear as a barrage of fireballs descended, deflecting them effortlessly as well.

The figure began to descend, apparently deciding that tossing fireballs wasn't getting her anywhere. Dropping onto the roof she landed in a three point stance, then stood and strode towards Yoshino and Yuka.

"Well well, aren't you two the cute couple." The girl—appearing to be a year or two older than Yuka and Yoshino—made them both feel much better about their own costumes. Stiletto-heeled leather boots extended all the way up to mid-thigh. Red and orange swirled together in a pattern that evoked flames in motion. A leotard of similar color and material—its legs even higher on the hips than the slits on Yuka's dress—clung to her slim body, revealing every curve and detail. The neckline plunged down to below her navel, with an intricate pattern of lacing holding the two sides together. Her arms were covered by elbow-length gloves; she had short fire-red spiked up hair and her eyes seemed to burn with a fire of their own. Her right hand gripped a meter and a half long staff, topped with a free-floating orb of fire.

Yoshino summoned her weapon, pointing the blade of the Naginata at the fire mage. "Return Misawa-san and leave the city. Now."

"Oh my, not even an introduction? Didn't your parents teach you proper manners?" The girl made an exaggerated half bow half curtsey. "Unlike you, I know my manners. My name is Hinata Aina, member of the Southern Group of Mitakihara City." Straightening up, she tapped a finger against her cheek.

"As for the rest…no." Pointing her staff at Yoshino and Yuka, another burst of flames shot out, only to be deflected by Yuka's shield. "Oh, that ability of yours is going to be such a drag."

Yoshino started to move forward, but found herself stopped by a hand on her arm. "No, let me." Yuka took several steps forward, extending her hands to her sides. With a flash of red light, her hands gripped a pair of swords. Their blades curved into hooks and their guards were augmented by crescent blades. She smoothly entered a combat stance, as if she'd trained her entire life.

Yuka couldn't say why she was doing this. She just knew that was a battle she had to fight. She locked her eyes on the scantily clad girl, whose face was contorted into a sadistic grin.

"My name is Yuka. Uchida Yuka. This town belongs to us."

* * *

_A/N: Thanks to voynix for proofing the chapter!_


	5. Chapter 4: Memories of Sorrow

**Reaching for Eternity**

Chapter 4: Memories of Sorrow

Yuka's blades sliced towards Aina. The fire mage twisted away, responding with a burst of flames; deflected by Yuka's barrier. Yuka launched another flurry of attacks, slashing with the sharpened back side of her hook swords. Again Aina dodged the swords. Her final move left her bent backwards; reaching back she put her hands on the ground and kicked upwards. The unexpected move broke Yuka's concentration. Instead of putting up a barrier she tried to dodge. The brunt of the kick missed, but the stiletto heel of one of Aina's boots sliced into Yuka's cheek. Yuka's hand instinctively went to her cheek, leaving her open to a kick to the stomach which sent her flying into the fence around the edge of the roof. Before she could stand she was enveloped in a blast of flames.

"Yuka!" Yoshino called out in desperation, before she realized that she could still feel Yuka's presence just fine. The fire vanished—revealing Yuka back on her feet—a crimson barrier flickering out of existence. Yuka turned her head and winked at Yoshino, before launching herself back towards the fire mage, ready to get some of her own back.

As she watched the battle, Yoshino began to realize something was off. She was starting to feel the effects of Soul Gem corruption, even though she wasn't using any magic. It was most noticeable whenever Yuka used her shield; as if a tiny bit of the corruption was accumulating in her own gem, instead of Yuka's. Her attention was drawn from the mystery when her internal radar finally detected what she'd been waiting for. She concentrated for a moment, confirming what she expected. Smiling, she focused on a specific target and sent a message.

_Clarisse. Now._

That done, she turned towards the other end of the roof, where a new figure stood under the moonlight.

* * *

_The brilliant blue Soul Gem—pure and untouched by corruption—shone in Clarisse's eyes. It took her a moment to process Yoshino's words._

"_No hold over you? Despite your wish, do you truly believe you are free from fate?"_

_Yoshino's gem flashed, reforming into the rune-encrusted silver ring. "Yes, yes I do." Yoshino sat back in her chair, her eyes meeting Clarisse's. "Just look at how you've been acting. I've managed to fluster you, embarrass you and then make you mad. You can't say that that is normal now, can you?"_

Clarisse refocused on the present; once again she sat atop a water tower, her cheek pressed against one knee. Yoshino had been right; she'd been acting like a child. There was no way a newly contracted Magical Girl should have been able to manipulate her that way. However she wasn't entirely sure that Yoshino was the only cause. She'd been feeling out of sorts ever since that meeting with Akemi. Old memories had been drug up, old wounds she'd thought closed decades ago reopened.

Combined with whatever power Yoshino gained from her wish had been enough to throw her off. She was aware of it now though, she wasn't going to let Yoshino play her again. Of course, she had to wonder why Yoshino spelled it out for her. She would have figured it out on her own eventually, but Yoshino just gave away an advantage. In her place she certainly would have continued to exploit it as long as possible.

"_I won't fight them for you. I should just stand up and leave right now." Clarisse sat back slightly ostentatiously. "This isn't my city, and it isn't my fight. I have somewhere I need to be." _

"_Fair enough; in fact I had no plans to ask you to fight. If it comes to it, I will take care of that. I have something else I want you to do." _

'Something else' indeed. Clarisse's mouth twitched at the memory. She still could have refused to take part, but this was the least she could do. Besides the agreement was she would only act if Yoshino's part of the plan worked. So here she sat, waiting.

Her head jerked upwards in surprise, turning to look in the direction of the massive magical energy explosion. For a moment, in the distance, she thought she saw a flash of blue and red, but then it vanished. _Yoshino what did you do?_

Yoshino had been rather reluctant to discuss precisely what her plan was for a distraction. At first Clarisse thought she was just going to go hunt demons and make a lot of magical "noise" to try and draw out the rogue girls; however that release of energy felt more like a contract. She strained her magical senses but it was just too far away for her to detect anything else.

A bare few minutes later, she received her sign.

_Clarisse. Now._

* * *

Yoshino eyed the new girl. If one were to construct the polar opposite of Hinata Aina, it was very likely that the girl before her would be the result. Full figured, with blue outfit that covered her entire body, with the exception of her hands and head. Lanky blue hair fell to below her shoulders, similarly colored eyes hiding behind her bangs. She began to approach, her long skirt swishing around her ankles, briefly revealing low-heeled boots.

A buzzing began in Yoshino's head. She opened her telepathy, and instantly regretted it. The silent girl was emitting a constant stream of telepathic mutterings—most of which were incomprehensible—but the few Yoshino was able to sort out nearly made her blanch. As the girl came closer the louder the muttering became and the harder it was to block out. Raising her naginata, Yoshino called out to her.

"My name is Yoshino. Leave this city now and you won't be hurt." The girl didn't respond, though Yoshino barely saw something flicker in her flat blue eyes. Otherwise her only reaction was to summon her weapons. Appearing to condense out of the very air two spears of ice formed; each two thirds the length of Yoshino's own Naginata.

Unlike the up close and personal brawl still going between Yuka and Aina, Yoshino's fight against the ice mage was a dance of attacks and parries, their long weapons blurs as they strove for an opening. Yoshino parried a thrust of one of the spears, only to just barely avoid the second coming in right behind it. Countering with a low slash, the blue-haired girl responded by leaping into the air. The move took Yoshino by surprise, but not nearly as much as the sudden storm of ice fragments that descended on her.

Diving out of the attack's zone, she escaped with just a few holes in her outfit and a bleeding cut on her right shoulder. Still lying on the ground she mentally extended her naginata, its extension faster than any physical thrust. The ice mage clearly had not expected an attack from that distance, nor for Yoshino to be able to tell precisely where she was without even looking. A grunt of pain told her she'd hit her target.

Dropping her weapon, Yoshino jumped to her feet. Turning she saw the ice mage grasping her left side, blood leaking through her fingers. A moment later she saw the girl's face, twisted with pain and rage. The telepathic mutterings—which Yoshino had managed to tune out thus far—suddenly amped up; as if someone had turned a radio on to a distorted station, with the volume on max. The telepathic attack—there was no other term for it—disoriented Yoshino for just a moment. Taking advantage of the opening, the girl charged, a sword of ice in either hand.

By the time Yoshino recovered the girl was nearly upon her. Summoning another naginata, Yoshino blocked one of the strikes; the second slipped through, piercing Yoshino in the side. A twin to the wound Yoshino herself had inflicted. The ice mage reversed her sword, beginning a slice aimed right at Yoshino's neck. _No. It can't end like this._ Yoshino tried to dodge, but it was too late, her soul gem filled with too much corruption. _Help! HELP ME YUKA!_

A burst of red light erupted around Yoshino; the ice sword struck it and shattered into a thousand pieces. The ice mage staggered backwards from the recoil of the impact. Before the blue haired mage could recover, a metal hook suddenly wrapped around her throat and she was violently wrenched backwards. Propelled through the air, the flailing girl slammed into the red-headed fire mage, who was just standing up out of a massive impact crater in the rooftop. The two girls tumbled over each other, finally coming to rest at the base of the fence surrounding the edge of the roof.

Yoshino had watched the events stunned, still shocked at her survival. Her gaze—following the flight of the ice mage—came to rest on her rescuer. Red dress ripped and burned, blood streaming from her left arm and right temple, and at the top of her cleavage an arrowhead shaped Soul Gem turned almost black with corruption.

"Hey, I got them. Aren't you proud of me…?" The words trailed off as the battered redhead collapsed.

"YUKA!"

* * *

Landing on the roof of the abandoned building, Clarisse was unsurprised to find the rooftop door unlocked. In fact the chain that had been holding it closed was half-melted on the ground. _The fire mage then; Yoshino was right_. She didn't detect any Soul Gems or other magical signatures in the area, but it didn't hurt to be cautious. Carefully she opened the door and headed into the shadowed stairwell.

It didn't take her long to find her objective. The top floor of the building was a single hallway with just a few doors. The second one she checked opened into a rather large room that was clearly being used. Moonlight streaming through the windows revealed a mess of take-out food containers in one corner. On the other side of the room was a large, ratty mattress laid out on the floor. Atop the mattress was a still figure, Clarisse couldn't tell if they were asleep or unconscious.

Approaching the bed, Clarisse found the girl Yoshino had described to her. She lay on the dirty mattress, arms and legs bound and a strip of white cloth gagging her. She was also completely naked. Though from what Clarisse could see the girl wasn't physically injured, without any obvious bruises or cuts.

"Alright, let's get you out of here." Clarisse moved closer, and as she came around to face the girl, she discovered at she was completely awake, her eyes wide with terror. "Oh dear, I wasn't expecting you to be awake."

Clarisse knelt down next to the mattress, trying to look as unthreatening as possible. "Hey there, Mai." The girl twitched slightly. "My name is Clarisse; I'm here to save you. Ok?" Mai nodded jerkily. "I'm going to untie you now." Clarisse moved her hands to the bonds around Mai's wrists and ankles. Zip-ties. _I guess good old fashioned rope is passé nowadays_. With a tiny burst of magical energy she cut the ties.

With her hands free, Mai immediately attempted to cover herself, though she didn't really accomplish much. Reaching up behind Mai's head, Clarisse untied the gag, then pulled a wadded up ball of cloth out of the girl's mouth. As it came out it unfurled. It was a pair of panties. _Those utter bitches._ She saw Mai's eyes widen as she saw what had come out of her mouth, the girl started to shake, tears gathering in her eyes.

"It's ok, they aren't here. They won't hurt you anymore." Clarisse reached out with one hand, to try and comfort the girl, but she was met with a shriek. Mai scooted back across the mattress, till her back was against the wall.

"Don't touch me!" Mai had curled herself up, clearly trying to stay as unexposed as possible. Clarisse looked around for something to cover the girl with, but the bed had no sheets, and other than a pile of shredded clothing that looked to have once been a school uniform the room was devoid of possibilities.

Instead she took off the dark purple cloak that covered her lavender Magical Girl outfit. She'd added the cloak some time back, when attempts to alter the base outfit itself had failed. She felt it lent her an air of gravitas the slightly frilly purple dress lacked. Sitting down on the mattress, she offered the cloak to Mai.

"Here, use this." The girl grabbed it and quickly covered herself. "You don't have to talk about it, but no one will judge you for what happened. It's not your fault."

Mai raised her head, brown eyes filled with pain. "How can you know? How can you say that? After what they…they…" her voice faltered, but she pushed onwards. "What they did to me." Tears welled up in her eyes and she buried her head in her knees.

Clarisse once again reached out with her hand, but this time she stopped herself. What right did she have to try and comfort this girl? This was her fault. She could have stopped this. Yoshino was right, just because you can't stop every bit of tragedy and injustice doesn't mean you shouldn't try to do what you can.

Closing her eyes for a moment, Clarisse focused inwards, feeling for a certain reaction in her Soul Gem. It was there—faint—but it was enough. Opening her eyes she looked at the girl, still huddled in Clarisse's cloak.

"I'm sorry." Clarisse kept her eyes on Mai as she spoke. "I know that seems trite and meaningless, but I am truly sorry. I could have stopped them. I could have rescued you before they did these things. I cannot go back and change the course of time, but I promise that when you wake, this won't even be a dream." Mai's eyes widened, but before she could speak Clarisse poked her lightly in the forehead and she fell into a deep sleep.

Clarisse reached towards Mai. A pale yellow glow began to emanate from the girl, glowing brightest on her chest; right below Clarisse's outstretched hand. The light grew brighter and brighter until finally Clarisse reached into the light itself. Emerging from Mai's body was a thick leather-bound book. Its cover was embossed with golden runes, its pages similarly edged in gold. She opened the book, revealing page after page of runes. Flipping through the pages, she soon found the one she was interested in.

Looking down at the page, Clarisse began to read aloud. As she read her voice began to modulate and change; taking on a higher, more youthful sound. A soft light surrounded her, a pale yellow matching that which still surrounded Mai. As she finished reading, the runes vanished, leaving behind a blank page. Closing the book, Clarisse laid her hand atop Mai's forehead. Memories flooded into her mind. Everything Misawa Mai had experienced. All the terror and pain—everything that had been done to her—it settled into Clarisse's mind, becoming indelible parts of her own memory. Placing the book against Mai's chest, it once again slid into the light. As the book vanished into the girl's chest, the light faded away.

Clarisse stood, looking down at the girl now sleeping peacefully on the mattress. Scooping her up into her arms, she carried the girl out onto the roof.

"Alright, let's get you home."

* * *

Yuka's Soul Gem was nearly pure black. Only the barest tinge of red could still be seen. Yoshino pulled out the few Grief Cubes she had left. They needed to be enough to get them through this. She slapped half of them onto Yuka's Gem and the other half onto her own. Shooting a glance towards the other end of the roof, the two elemental mages still seemed to be knocked out from that last impact.

She felt the corruption drain from her gem, like a fog lifting from her vision. She hadn't even known it was there, but now that it was gone she felt refreshed and alive again. Checking Yuka's gem, it was still heavily corrupted. Just a few moments longer and she would have succumbed.

"Oh Yuka. I never intended for you to go that far." A hand reached up and touched her cheek.

"Don't say that. This was my choice. And without me you would have died. I'll be fine soon." Yoshino took her girlfriend's hand and held it tight.

A twitch in Yoshino's clairvoyant sense drew her attention. Looking over she saw that the fire mage, Aina, was trying to stand up. Yoshino pulled the Grief Cubes off her gem and slapped them onto Yuka's.

"I'm going to go finish this." Yuka simply nodded in response.

Yoshino dashed towards the fire mage, running as fast as she could. Aina had barely managed to get onto all fours when a devastating kick slammed into her chest, sending her flying into the fencing around the rooftop. The fence barely held together—Yoshino was surprised the girl hadn't gone right through it—despite the amount of force she'd used.

Aina crashed down onto the roof; the impact actually jolting her back to full consciousness. Unfortunately for her, Yoshino was already standing over her. Grabbing her hair, Yoshino lifted her head up.

"That was for Yuka." Yoshino then slammed the fire mage's face right into the concrete, an audible crunching noise indicating she'd broken the girl's nose. "That was for Misawa." Yoshino yanked her head up again, and then smashed it into the ground a second time. Pulling the girl's head up again, Yoshino roughly twisted it around to face her. Aina's face was coated with blood; her nose pulped beyond recognition, blood streaming from numerous cuts and abrasions. Above the devastation a pair of red eyes burned; burned with pain, fear and anger. Yoshino did not flinch from their gaze. Summoning her naginata, Yoshino held its blade to Aina's Soul Gem.

"You are going to leave this town. If I ever catch you here again I will kill you. Understand?" The bloody face nodded, though Aina's eyes were still filled with burning hatred. "Grab your friend and get out. Now." Yoshino released Aina's hair, causing the girl to fall to her knees. Aina struggled to her feet and moved haltingly towards Mikuru, who was just now starting to stir. Helping the blue-haired girl up, the two haltingly made their way to the edge of the roof, where there was a melted hole in the fence. Aina turned and gave Yoshino a baleful stare, and then the two leapt off the roof.

Yoshino's burst of adrenaline finally wore off. Only clinging to her naginata allowed her to stay on her feet. A pair of arms wrapped around her from behind. It was Yuka, of course.

"Did I go too far?" With the rush over, Yoshino was regretting letting her temper show that badly.

"Not at all." Yoshino felt Yuka's breasts pushing into her back as her arms tightened around her. "I know how afraid you are of your temper, but those two deserved what they got. They got of lightly, if you ask me." Yuka relaxed her arms, allowing Yoshino to turn around. Their lips met in their second kiss of the night, though it felt as if ages had passed, instead of less than an hour.

Breaking the kiss, Yoshino pulled back a bit, an odd expression on her face.

"What's wrong?" Yuka's voice conveyed her confusion.

"It seems we have an audience." Pulling away from Yuka, she turned towards the rooftop door. Standing atop it was Clarisse van Rossum, Kyuubey perched on her shoulder.

"Oh don't mind us. You two can continue as you were." Yoshino felt her cheeks heat a bit; and she could tell—without even looking at her—that Yuka was doing the same.

"Ah, yes. I should introduce you two." Yoshino cleared her throat. "Yuka, this is Clarisse van Rossum, she's a Magical Girl who has been a big help tonight. Clarisse, this is Uchida Yuka, my girlfriend and partner. As you can see she just made a contract tonight."

"That is quite apparent. I thought I felt a contract reaction, though I've never felt one that intense." Clarisse lightly jumped down onto the roof proper. "You two certainly look like you went through the wringer." Her gaze traveled around the devastated rooftop. "I've seen worse, but most of the time we don't conduct battles on the roofs of elementary schools."

Finishing with a good long look at Yuka, and the tattered remains of her dress, Clarisse raised an eyebrow. "Are you going to continue like that or do you plan to repair your outfit? I don't object, but I wonder if Yoshino is fine with you showing off like that." Yuka's face turned as red as her Soul Gem, a flash of red light returning her to the clothes she was wearing before.

Yoshino crinkled her forehead slightly in irritation. "Clarisse, did you find her?"

"Yes, she was exactly where you said she was. I've returned her to her home. They should find her sleeping peacefully in bed in the morning. She will have no memories of what happened."

Yoshino considered asking for more details, but something about Clarisse's voice made her certain she wasn't going to get any more information out of the older Magical Girl. "Well, with Misawa rescued and those two chased off, I think we've accomplished the mission quite nicely."

"Except for the part where you two look like death warmed over." Clarisse reached into a pocket of her dress, and pulled out a dozen Grief Cubes. "Here; neither of you two will stand a chance at fighting demons unless you get yourselves fixed up, and I know you are out of cubes."

Yoshino gave Clarisse an odd look, but accepted the cubes anyway; she was right after all. She then handed eight of the cubes to Yuka. "You need these more than I do. Make sure you are mostly healed up by morning; we don't want your parents getting suspicious." Yuka nodded in response, placing the cubes in the pocket of her shorts.

"Ok, I'm going to take Yuka back to her house. Clarisse, head back to the mansion. My mother will be suspicious if you aren't there in the morning."

"Wait, hold on." Yuka held up her hands. "Can't I go to the mansion as well?"

Yoshino gave her an odd look. "As much as I like the idea, how would we explain you ending up in my bed in the morning? You have to still be at your house when your parents wake up, that's the only way this will work. Hopefully soon things can change, but until that happens, we have to continue on as we are."

Yuka put on a pouty expression, but nodded her acceptance. "What about this mess?" She gestured at the ruined rooftop.

Yoshino shrugged. "It will be a mystery. Don't worry; I can make sure they get the funds to fix it." With that she scooped Yoshino back into her arms. With a nod at Clarisse, she jumped off the roof.

"Hey, you don't have to carry me. I'm a Magical Girl now too, you know."

"I know."

A few minutes later, Yoshino landed inside Yuka's room. Setting Yuka back on her feet, Yoshino turned to leave, but was stopped by a hand on her arm. She found herself being turned around, and she was met by a kiss from Yuka.

"Weren't you going to give me a goodnight kiss?" Yuka's voice was impish. "My place is with you. Don't make me wait too long, ok?"

Yoshino kissed her back. "Goodnight, my love." She stepped back, turned and jumped out the window.

Yuka walked over and shut the window and closed the blinds, plunging the room into darkness. Holding out her left hand, she summoned her Soul Gem. A ruby light filled the room. Setting the Gem down on her nightstand, she surrounded it with the cubes Yoshino had given her. Lying down on her bed, she stared into the ruby-red egg, watching as the swirls of darkness within it drained away. Her eyes were especially drawn to the flecks of blue, floating like tiny moats in a ruby sea.

Sleep, when it came, was fitful.

* * *

Yoshino's night was not much better. However despite only a few hours of sleep she was surprised at how rested she actually felt.

_It's part of being a Magical Girl. _Clarisse, who sat across from her at the table in the mansion's kitchen. _We still need sleep, but we can get away with a lot less than before. It will catch up with you eventually if you keep it up though._

Clarisse and Yoshino were eating breakfast, along with Yoshino's mother. By all appearances she had no idea that Yoshino and Clarisse had left during the night. The conversation over breakfast had largely been irrelevant small-talk, with Clarisse surprisingly adept at deflecting her mother's more probing questions.

"So, Clarisse, do you plan on staying in town any longer? You are welcome to stay as long as you need." Yoshino paused slightly while taking a sip of her Earl Grey, but decided it was an innocuous question. Her mother had bought their story the night before with little question. Thankfully she didn't enquire too deeply into just where online they had allegedly met. Her mother wasn't a Luddite by any means, but the vagaries of the internet were somewhat beyond her.

"Thank you, but no. In fact someone will be coming by to take me back to Mitakihara later today. If it's ok with Yoshino I'd like to ride into town with her on her way to school." Yoshino of course had no problem with the suggestion; in fact she had planned on bringing it up herself.

"Of course that's not a problem. Arisawa can drop you off wherever you need." Yoshino looked up as the man himself entered the kitchen. "Ah, we were just talking about you, Arisawa."

The mustachioed man made his way over to Yoshino. "Young Mistress." Yoshino's eye twitched slightly. "This message was just dropped off. It's from the lawyers." He held out a white envelope with Yoshino's name written on it. Taking it from him, she used a knife to slice it open.

Inside were several sheets of thick paper, she ran her eyes down the pages, taking in the information. Arisawa and her mother looked on with interest, Clarisse with slight confusion. Putting down the papers, she took a sip of her tea.

"Now isn't this the most interesting development." She grinned unabashedly.


End file.
